Global Courant
The next round of COVID-19 vaccines will target one of the latest versions of the coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
The FDA’s decision came a day after a desk panel of outside consultants backed the prescription change. The agency told vaccine makers to provide protection against just one omicron strain, known as XBB.1.5.
Today’s recordings contain the original coronavirus and an earlier version of omicron. They still help prevent serious illness and death, even as XBB variants have taken over. But the protection gradually diminishes over time and was short-lived against milder infections, even before the virus inevitably evolved again.
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The Food and Drug Administration on June 16, 2023 directed COVID-19 vaccine makers to update fall shots to target the latest Omicron strain. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
Global Courant
The three US companies that make COVID-19 shots said this week they were preparing to change the formula ahead of making many millions of doses available before the fall. One company, Pfizer, said it could have some doses ready as early as next month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will ultimately decide whether to recommend the shot for nearly all Americans or only for certain high-risk groups.
